Unit 2 Session 2 - August 2010

8/13/2019 Unit 2 Session 2 - August 2010

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Unit 2 > Session 2

PDA Introduction to Tutoring ESOL: Developing ESOL tutoring skil ls 29

Unit 2 > Session 2

This session aims to:

raise awareness of how to manage the learning environment (Outcomes 1, 2 and 4)

highlight ways of building rapport and maintaining interaction (Outcomes 1, 2 and 4) provide practice in using teaching aids (Outcomes 1 and 4)

raise awareness of methods of grouping learners (Outcomes 1, 2 and 4)

We suggest that you allocate 180 minutes for the session.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Focus A Teaching aids, ra ppor t and maint a in ing int eract ion

Aims: To raise awareness of how to manage the learning environment

To highlight ways of building rapport and maintaining interaction

To revise the stages of a receptive skills lesson

To provide practice in using teaching aids

Time needed: 90 minutes

Materials: Handouts 1 and 2

Resource 1

Whiteboard and whiteboard markers (one light-coloured or fading)

or blackboard and chalk, flipchart paper, flipchart markers, Blu tack,

overhead projector (OHP) and transparencies (OHTs), OHT pensand/or interactive whiteboard

Preparation: Check on the available teaching aids and adapt the tasks in

Resource 1 accordingly

Cut up Resource 1 for distribution to groups

Notes: The trainer gives a short demonstration on how not to manage a

group by doing everything wrong. You may need to practise this

before delivery. It works better if the trainees are not aware that this

is the intention. The trainees should already be familiar with thetrainer and his/her teaching style so that they will immediately spot

the differences between todays delivery and previous input.

A short text about using boards, flipcharts and interactive

whiteboards is provided, but any alternative short text about these

teaching aids could be used.

Task 1 Managing the learning environment

St age 1Do not set the context or provide any lead-in. Start reading the text Handout 1 about

boards, flipcharts and interactive whiteboards aloud. Do not give out the handout yet.

Incorporate into your act all or some of the suggestions below:

Keep your head down. Do not project your voice; mumble and have long pauses

Do not smile. Instead, appear unapproachable.

Read too fast and dont check that the trainees are following (no emphasis/ repetition/reformulation)

Dont look at the trainees while reading

Tap your pen on a table or play with your hair to distract the trainees

Arrange for a mobile phone or alarm to go off while reading, stop for a minute, then goback two sentences


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Unit 2 > Session 2


St age 2

When you have finished reading the text, immediately fire the comprehension questions at

the trainees. You could then (slowly and tediously) write all the trainees answers on the

board, focusing on any irrelevancies. Trainees should be unprepared for the questions. The

following procedure could be followed:

Point at each trainee to answer without using any names. You could use you

Focus on one or two trainees only and avoid looking at the others

Appear not to listen to trainees answers or dismiss them, saying No, thats wrong

Write the trainees answers on the board, using a light-coloured pen that is difficult tomake out

Write illegibly, too small and lopsided. Make basic spelling mistakes (arguing withtrainees if they point out the mistakes!). Use capitals inappropriately

Frequently turn your back on the trainees, talk to the board and make asides

The trainees should not have the text in front of them while the questions are being asked.

At this stage they may be wondering what is going on, but maintain a serious pose!

Answers

1 What is a flipchart?

Accept onlythe following: a transportable frame with large pieces of paper that can be torn

off write the whole answer on the board.

2 A tutor should make sure their writing is legible. True or false?

True, obviously!3 What four ways can a board be used?

Accept onlythe following: to write, draw and stick things and, in the case of whiteboards, as

a screen for overhead transparencies.

4 What is the big advantage of using an interactive whiteboard?

None of the answers are correct but accept only(b). Ignore or argue with the trainees if they

tell you that all the possible answers are wrong!

5 Nobody uses blackboards anymore. True or false?

This could lead to a long discussion, but ask a nominated trainee to just say true or false.

St age 3

After the demonstration, ask the trainees if they noticed anything different about your

delivery style/approach today. You may have alienated a lot of the group, even if they realise

this is not your usual style! You may have to explain, or elicit, the rationale behind the

demonstration as a means of focusing on the importance of managing the learning

environment effectively. Point out that in much ELT literature, the term classroom

management is used.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Give outHandout 1.Ask the trainees how much of the text they understood when it was

presented in this way and elicit a better way of doing a reading/listening comprehension.

Revise the stages of a receptive skills lesson. Discuss the questions and what is wrong with

them.

Potential feedback

Trainees should recall that in a receptive skills lesson, the context is usually set during the

lead-in,and gistis checked before more detailed comprehension questions are asked.

Staging a lesson logically helps to maintain interaction or to keep the learners with you.

The comprehension questions here are poor examples as they:

rely on memory

are pointless or dont require comprehension of the text to answer

are irrelevant

are not in order are a mixture of question types

Ask the trainees, in small groups, to write a gist question and five appropriate

comprehension questions for this text. Ask some of the trainees to come to the

board/flipchart and to write their questions.

Potential feedback

This time, accept any reasonable suggestions!

Gist

Is this text written for learners, tutors or managers?

Comprehension

1 Name one other function of a whiteboard aside from writing or drawing on it.

2 What example does the text give of how a tutor can organise her board?

3 Which advantage do flipcharts hold over whiteboards, according to the text?

4 Which key interactive whiteboard tool is mentioned?

5 Name three ways in which the save function on interactive whiteboards can be used.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Task 2 Rapport, maintaining interaction and boardwork

St age 1

Divide the trainees into three groups to come up with a list of dos and donts for theheadings below:

ways of building rapport

ways of maintaining interaction

ways of using the board

Elicit an example for each of the headings before giving out the task instruction. Give each

group an instruction fromResource 1.Tell the trainees they should consider what they have

noticed in this session, or from other observations and their own experiences. They have 15

minutes to prepare and then they will present their findings to the rest of the group using the

equipment specified. Give out flipchart paper, pens, OHTs etc to each group, depending on

availability. While the trainees are working in their groups, monitor and provide suggestionsas necessary.

St age 2

Each group should give a short presentation using the equipment specified.

Give outHandout 2as feedback. The trainees can add any other ideas to each section.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Focus B Usi ng t eaching ai ds

Aims: To extend practice in using teaching aids


Materials: Resources 2 and 3

Unit 2 DVD, a CD with several tracks

DVD player, CD player, flipchart, OHP and OHTs,

some A4 sized pictures, handouts, coursebooks and pens

Preparation: The cards from Resource 2 may need to be altered, depending on

the number of trainees, so that you end up with four or five groups

Adapt and/or personalise the cue cards from Resource 3 dependingon available equipment and according to which CD(s) you choose to

use. The DVD can be any multi-track DVD and the cue cards can

be amended appropriately.

Cut up Resources 2 and 3

Set up the room with four or five stations, depending on available

resources. Place the appropriate cue card from Resource 3 at each

one. The following work with the cue cards as published:

1 DVD player or suitable laptop (and DVD)

2 CD player (and CD)3 Flipchart or whiteboard/interactive whiteboard and pens

4 A table with some A4 sized pictures, handouts and coursebooks

5 OHP, transparencies and pens

Notes: Station 4 deals with pictures/handouts/coursebooks. Trainees are

asked to chest to hold a page/handout against themselves when

giving instructions so that the rest of the group can see. You will

probably need to explain and demonstrate this.

Task 1 Using teaching aids

St age 1

Linking back to the previous focus, elicit kinds of teaching aids that tutors frequently use. Ask

the trainees to think about the equipment displayed around the room and what potential

problems could arise when using it.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


St age 2

Give out the cut-up sentences fromResource 2and ask the trainees to team up by finding

whoever has the other part(s) of their sentence. You may have to alter the cards to end up

with four or five groups but ensure no-one is working on their own (groups of three will

probably work best).

Each pair/group should then choose a station and use the cue cards fromResource 3to

practise common tasks. Each trainee should demonstrate one of the activities on the cue

card to the rest of their group. Allow 510 minutes maximum at each station before they

move to the next. Monitor and assist.

St age 3

Re-arrange the groups so that trainees from different groups are working together. Ask thetrainees to discuss any other issues they have noticed about using the equipment while

doing the task. Conduct feedback and use a mind map to board any useful points.

Potential feedback

cueing and re-cueing CDs and DVDs

volume control

fear of technology and technology going wrong

noise from equipment

visuals which are unclear, too small or obscure

board disorganisation, using incorrect pens


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Focus C Managing t he lear ni ng envi r onment groupi ng

Aims: To raise awareness of methods of grouping learners


Materials: Cue cards not supplied

Preparation: Prepare a number of cue cards with instructions to group trainees in

different ways (eg numbering, shoe size, age, favourite colours,

animals, gender, nationalities etc this will depend on the

composition of the group). You may wish to leave some blank for

trainees to suggest other methods.

See also Toolkit Session 10, page 93

Notes: As a point for discussion, it would be useful to set the room up in a

way which does not best facilitate group learning.

Ensure that enough time is given to explore issues which arise

when tutoring one-to-one or with very small groups.

Task 1 Grouping learners

St age 1

Ask the trainees how you paired/grouped them together for the teaching aids task in FocusB. Discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls of grouping learners using a similar random

technique.

Potential feedback

Benefits

Learners do not feel they are being forced to work with particular individuals (thegroups come as a result of a task)

The task lends itself to being a lead-in or review

The task can help to create interest in activities to follow

There is no need to move furniture etc

Pitfalls

Need to be careful if you have any groupings you wish to avoid (eg friends together,same languages, nationalities etc)

The learners may not be happy with the group they end up in and this might affectthe flow of the lesson


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Unit 2 > Session 2


St age 2

Elicit from trainees what sorts of activities ESOL learners participate in listening,

speaking, controlled practice, reading, writing, information gaps etc.

Talk about the interaction patterns TL (tutor to learner(s)), LL (learner(s) to learner(s)),

LT (learner(s) to tutor) and point out that a session is more likely to be effective whenlearners are practising language rather than just listening to the tutor. This might also be a

good time to mention the need to avoid too much unfocused TTT (tutor talking time).

While pointing out that sessions should usually be planned to facilitate L-L interactions,

acknowledge that this is not possible in one-to-one tutoring. Indicate that this will be

addressed later in the Focus.

Put the trainees in pairs to discuss some advantages and disadvantages of not using

grouping techniques, but instead always asking learner(s) to work with a neighbour that they

have chosen to sit beside. Putting the trainees with their neighbours for this activity may help

them think through the issues.

Potential feedback

Advantages

Saves time

Learners may get language and/or psychological support sitting next to a friend

Learners will not be with a partner they are uncomfortable with or dontunderstand

May suit learners unused to a communicative language-learning environment

Disadvantages

Friends could be easily distracted

They might use L1 exclusively

Does not help prepare learners for life outside the learning environment, wherethey will often have to work/collaborate with people they dont gel with

Learners do not get used to a variety of accents

Not as many opportunities for authentic communication

Learners do not get an opportunity to work with others, which they may want

St age 3

Give out the pre-prepared cue cards and/or get trainees to make cue cards for ways of re-

organising learners (by number, size of shoe, age, favourite colours or animals, same sex

pairs, different nationalities etc). Ask each trainee to re-organise the group according to the

specifications. Make sure the final trainee arranges the others into small groups.

Once the final small groups have been formed, ask them to make a list of issues that will

affect how, and when, you group learners. Give a couple of examples such as how many

learners there are, or the size of the room. Monitor and give suggestions. After about tenminutes, take feedback.


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Unit 2 > Session 2


Potential feedback

Ease of movement (amount of furniture, size of tables, chairs etc)

Do learners like being moved around?

Any learners with special needs hearing, sight, physical? Friends, enemies

Strong v. weak

Vocal v. quiet learners

Type of activity (speaking, writing etc)

Type of interaction needed and thinking through a method of grouping which willfacilitate this

Task 2 Tutoring one-to-one

St age 1

Write up on the board:

Tutoring one-to-one

Put the trainees into pairs using one of the techniques from Task 1. Ask the pairs to think

about issues related to working with one learner when it comes to interaction patterns and

seating. How does it differ from working with a group? Are there any advantages?

Let the trainees discuss these questions for a few minutes with their partners, before

conducting feedback by asking each trainee to comment or provide an idea. Write up ideason board.

Potential feedback

Seating is important sitting at an angle will be less confrontational than face-to-face

More flexibility it is not always necessary to sit at a desk

Relationship between the tutor and the learner is vital so the tutor may need towork harder to build rapport

The tutor will change roles more often sometimes working as the learnerspartner, sometimes explainer, sometimes friend

Need to think about activities so that the learner doesnt end up writing on his/herown for long periods of time

A third person can be introduced, eg through visuals, recordings etc


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Unit 2 > Session 2


St age 2

Tell the trainees they are going to role-play a one-to-one tutoring scenario. Tell them that this

is the second time they have met their learner and they are still trying to find out about them

and build rapport. With their partner, they should devise between 5 and 10 questions they

will use as the basis of the session. They must try to ensure that they integrate skills in thelesson so they should think about what they will do with the questions (eg conversation, cut

up questions for re-ordering, using a questionnaire, using a recording). Give the pairs 1015

minutes to come up with ideas. They must both write down the questions. Provide support

while monitoring.

St age 3

When they are ready, regroup the trainees into different pairings. They should try out their

mini lessons on each other, taking the roles of learner and tutor, and then reversing the

roles. Tell the trainees to think about interaction and seating while conducting the simulation.

After the activity, ask the trainees if they want to add anything to the ideas on the board.

Review and r ef lect (10-15 minut es)

St age 1

Put the following scenarios on the board and ask the trainees to discuss in small groups.

Your learners always get confused when you try to rearrange pairs/groups.

You work one-to-one and have no access to equipment to play recordings on.

Your handwriting is very neat but on the board/flipchart it is always a real mess. Your learner always looks so bored when you are explaining important language points.

St age 2

During group feedback, focus on strategies suggested by the trainees for dealing with the

challenges above.


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Session 2

Handouts and Resources


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Unit 2 > Session 2



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Unit 2 > Session 2 > Focus A > Handout 1


Task 1 Managing the learning environment

Teaching Aid s boar ds, f l i pchart s and int eract iv e whi t eboard s

Whiteboards, and blackboards, are very useful teaching aids that can be used to focus the

learners attention and record important information. The tutor can write, draw and stick

pictures and pieces of paper to the board. Whiteboards can also be used as a screen for

overhead transparencies.

When using a board, a tutor should always make sure their writing is legible and can be read

by those at the back of the room. The tutor should avoid writing irrelevant information on the

board and try not to turn their back to the learners for too long. Coloured marker pens or

chalk can be used to highlight certain points, such as word stress or grammar. The tutor

should try to keep the board well organised; different parts of the board could be used for

different areas such as pronunciation or a column for new words.

A flipchart basically consists of a transportable frame with large pieces of paper that can be

torn off. It can be used in the same way as a board, but with the added advantage that the

writing can be kept as a record of a lesson or given out to learners. The paper can also be

used for advance preparation of a lesson or section of a lesson by tutor or learners.

Many educational institutions now have electronic whiteboards in classrooms, as

replacements for traditional blackboards, whiteboards or flipcharts. These allow tutors and

learners to reproduce anything they can see on their computer screen onto a large board.

Thus a tutor can access websites and software and can present pre-prepared documents.

There are all sorts of tools available, such as a highlighter tool to highlight certain

words/phrases. One great advantage is that the materials and the tutors audio input can be

saved and used for review purposes at a later stage. This can be helpful for learners who

were absent, or who require repetition, and useful for tutors who can use the lesson again or

share it with other tutors.

Comprehension questions

1 What is a flipchart?

2 A tutor should make sure their writing is legible. True or false?

3 What four ways can a board be used?

4 What is the big advantage of using an interactive whiteboard?

a) learners will attend more

b) the tutor can use the same lesson again with the same group

c) learners can get on with other work and watch the lesson at any time

5 Nobody uses blackboards anymore. True or false?


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Unit 2 > Session 2 > Focus A > Handout 2


Task 2 Rapport, maintaining interaction andboardwork

Ways of building rapport

Dos Donts

Use learners names

Make eye contact with all learners

Listen carefully to the learners

Project your voice

Admit your errors (eg spelling mistakes)

Acknowledge all learner contributionsSmile, be encouraging and empathetic

Point at people

Focus on just one or two learners

Say no, youre wrong

Mumble

Ways of maintaining interaction

Dos Donts

Think carefully about lesson staging

Use a lead-in or set the context beforegiving a reading/listening task

Give learners the task (eg questions)

before doing a reading/listening

(generally)

Check that learners are all following

Go too fast (eg during reading)/too slow

(during boardwork), ie focus on pace

Pause for a long time, without looking at

the learners

Distract learners while doing an activity

Ways of using the board

Dos Donts

Write legibly

Try to keep your writing horizontal

Be selective about what you write on the

board (keep it relevant)

Use pens that can be seen (eg

black/blue)

Write too small

Stand with your back to the learners and

talk to the board

Use capital letters inappropriately (this

does not help literacy learners in

particular)


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Unit 2 > Session 2 > Focus A > Resource 1


Task 2 Rapport, maintaining interaction andboardwork (group tasks)

Group A Ways of Building Rapport

In your group:

Create a list of Dos and Donts using the heading above.

Prepare to present your ideas to the other groups using overhead transparencies and anoverhead projector (or an interactive whiteboard if there is no OHP available).

Practise using the equipment before you give your presentation.

Group B Ways of Maintaining Interaction

In your group:


Prepare to present your ideas to the other groups using flipchart paper to create a

mindmap.

Practise how you will deliver the information before you give your presentation.

Group C Using the Board

In your group:


Prepare to present your ideas to the other groups using the board to write up the Dosand Donts.

Practise how you will deliver the information before you give your presentation to showgood and bad examples of boardwork.


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Unit 2 > Session 2 > Focus B > Resource 2


Task 1 Using teaching aids (sentence parts)

Most tutors need to work hard to

improve their whiteboard skills.

Lots of tutors are

afraid of technology.

A common mistake is to choose


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pictures that are too small.

Permanent markers can be used

on flipcharts but not whiteboards. Be careful!

You should always cue CDs,

cassettes etc before a tutoring


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session; otherwise, you are asking for trouble.

Every now and then go to the

back of the room. Can

you read your writing on the board?


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Task 1 Using teaching aids (cue cards for stations)

DVD PlayerTry out the following tasks with your partner/group:

1 Cue the DVD at Patrick Amon 4 min.

2 Cue the DVD at Mona interview 1 min.

3 Cue the DVD at initial assessment interview 2 min 30 sec.

CD Player

Try out the following tasks with your partner/group:

1 Cue the CD at track __, then track __.

2 Cue the CD at song . and fast forward to .

3 Play 5 seconds of song then rewind to beginning.

Flipchart/whiteboard


1 Write the following words on the board:

people re-open excitable under responsibly

Include the part of speech and mark the word stress.

2 Draw a woman sleeping under a tree.

3 Write these words on the board:

like seems flipchart nobody using a to

Write them in the correct order to create a sentence. Mark the sentence stress.


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Visuals/handouts/coursebooks


1 Choose a visual. Tell your group a short story about the picture while chesting.

2 Go to page 40 of a coursebook. Choose a task/exercise and give your group

instructions while chesting.

3 Choose a handout. Direct your group to the correct place and give instructions for

a task while chesting.

Overhead projector


1 Draw a stick figure on one transparency. On another transparency write five parts

of the body so that you can overlay.

2 Draw a picture which has features to illustrate: next to, behind, in front of, under

and on.

3 Draw your family tree.

Unit 2 Session 2 - August 2010

Documents

Transcript of Unit 2 Session 2 - August 2010